Temples
with Lo Moon
The Social / Orlando, FL • 5.11.17
by Christopher Long
By 9pm, Central Florida’s groovy nightspot was packed literally to its authentic wooden rafters – brimming with a bevy of cuties under 20 and creepers over 50. Ah, showtime in O-town!
Kicking off the soirée – synth-pop newcomers, Lo Moon. Led by singer / songwriter / guitarist, Matt Lowell, the trippy L.A.-based trio, bathed Orlando early birds in a glorious, ambient shower – less the scented body wash and loofah, of course. Along with the assistance of a near-hidden drummer-for-hire, Lo Moon created more super-sonic oomph than troupes twice their size, as multi-instrumentalists Samuel Stewart and Crisanta Baker both executed double duty proficiently.
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Featured tracks from the band’s upcoming debut record included “This is It” – a slow-building number that morphed seamlessly into a strong bridge and a soaring crescendo. Equally appealing, “Real Love” was hooky and melodic. “This is our only song out in the world,” Lowell announced, leading his crew into the mega-streamed cyber hit, “Loveless.” Near the set’s conclusion, Lowell commented humbly, “It’s so cool watching such a great band every night” – a classy nod to the evening’s headliner.
Oozing sufficient Syd Barrett-inspired psychedelia to maintain mystique, while seeping enough Oasis swagger to still get laid, U.K. synth-pop poster boys, Temples, proved a mightier stage force than their studio efforts indicate – storming the Social stage amid seizure-inducing, retina-burning lighting and molar-jarring low end boom boom.
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“Florida is the hottest state ever,” frontman James Bagshaw announced to the audience early into the high-energy set – an onslaught bursting with the best bits from the band’s 2014 debut record, Sun Structures, as wells as choice cuts from the just-released sophomore effort, Volcano – including the well-received, infectious new single, “Certainty.”
Surrounded by vintage-looking band gear – ’60s-style keyboard rigs, Gretsch guitars, Vox amplifiers and Ludwig drums, the four-piece combo’s Magic Bus-era attire also was as authentic as their retro-tinged, yet super-processed sound. A more “seasoned” rock fan could have spotted Temples’ impressive DNA easily. However, to the giddy scantily-clad girlies up front, they were experiencing something completely fresh and unique. Bless their little hearts. ◼
